PENALTIES

RaboDirect PRO12: Connacht beaten by Edinburgh in a thriller

Edinburgh squeezed past Connacht 24-23 in Galway to claim just their second away victory since January.

Tim Visser, Matt Scott and Stuart McInally all crossed for the Scottish side, with Willie Faloon and Danie Poolman touching down for the hosts.

Greig Laidlaw provided the assists for the Scott and McInally tries, in addition to his kicking haul of three conversions and a penalty.

Former Scotland outside-half Dan Parks, who finished with 13 points, had a late chance to win it for Connacht but his drop goal effort shaved the right hand post.

One of Edinburgh's five returning internationals, Visser, swept through for a typically opportunist try inside the opening five minutes and Laidlaw followed up with an accurate conversion for an early 7-0 buffer.

The scores came thick and fast in the opening quarter, Connacht hitting back after a Parks cross-field kick was taken into touch by the covering Tom Brown.

From the resulting lineout, the hosts worked a well-executed drive and flanker Faloon plunged over with Parks' conversion levelling the sides.

Some of that good work was undone though when Connacht infringed straight from the restart, allowing Laidlaw to kick the Scots back ahead.

Parks made it 10-all with a 17th minute penalty before Edinburgh swooped for their second try closing in on the interval, industrious number 8 McInally securing clean lineout ball and Scott scoring off Laidlaw's well-weighted chip through.

Laidlaw's conversion was cancelled out by a late penalty from Parks, who rewarded Brett Wilkinson for winning a scrum decision.

Parks lifted the westerners with a 58th minute penalty, but Edinburgh's persistence paid off when Laidlaw's inside pass put McInally over for a deserved score.

The conversion followed although Connacht had Edinburgh sweating in the final minutes. A slick back-line move, with Henshaw cutting a very good line, ended with Poolman scoring out wide. Parks swung over the conversion but could not win it at the death.